Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica (UU Santa Monica) will host an opening reception for a new mixed-media exhibit this Sunday, Jan. 4 from noon to 1:30 pm. The exhibit will run through Jan. 25.
The exhibit is free and open to the public on Sundays 9 am to 1 pm and on weekdays by appointment.
Artist Sarah Hage said the exhibit “Siren Song” celebrated female beauty and sensuality in painting and sculpture, while adhering to the blue laws that prohibit nudity in publicly displayed art.
“Three large triptych panels depict mermaids performing music, song, and dance, like updated versions of classical muses,” Hage said. “The sirens are very sexy, but, unlike their namesakes in Greek mythology who drew sailors to their deaths with their irresistible song, they are playful and joyous rather than dangerous.”
Hage said the performers revel in their own element for the love of it.
“The mermaid form embodies the paradox of a society that is at once obsessed with and repelled by displays of sexuality,” she said. “The fish tail, which was grafted on to the sirens of myth, dispenses with the most troubling part of the female anatomy, and, as a light jab at our Puritanical mores, the figures in the paintings artfully hide nipples behind musical instruments, hands, fins, and lots and lots of Lady Godiva hair.”
UU Santa Monica is located at 1260 18th Street (corner of 18th and Arizona) Santa Monica 90404.
On Sundays look for signs to free parking at 1311 16th Street, the UCLA Hospital structure just south Arizona. Handicapped parking is available behind the church.
The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica was founded in 1927 and is affiliated with the national Unitarian Universalist Association. The UU Santa Monica community embraces many beliefs and many backgrounds.
UUs celebrate unity in diversity, affirming the supreme worth of all persons, held together through love and a spark of divinity that resides in us all. The community is also a Welcoming Congregation, welcoming all persons and families regardless of sexual orientation.
With one of the largest UU Religious Education programs in Southern California, UU Santa Monica supports both youth and adults in their search for understanding, insight and inspiration.
The church is an active center for social justice, peace and sustainability. For a full calendar of events visit www.uusm.org.
